Nevada Health Link awards contract for state-based exchange

Nevada Health Link — the state’s health insurance marketplace — announced on Tueday GetInsured has been awarded a contract to operate the Exchange’s technology platform for eligibility and enrollment, as well as its call center, when it transitions to a state-based exchange next year.

Nevada Health Link currently leases the Healthcare.gov platform to facilitate the sale of qualified health plans and will continue to do so through plan year 2019. The Exchange plans to be fully transitioned to a state-based system by Nov. 1, 2019 in time for plan year 2020.

Nevada Health Link stated GetInsured has a proven track record. Vimo, Inc., doing business as GetInsured, currently operates exchange technology in seven states: Idaho, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Washington.

When the private technology platform is launched, Nevada will join 12 other states nationwide that aren’t reliant on Healthcare.gov and operate their own private exchange, known as a state-based marketplace.

Nevada Health Link stated this will allow for a more consumer-friendly shopping experience with more efficient and flexible plan and enrollment administration — all at a significantly lower cost than Healthcare.gov.

“We are enthusiastic about our partnership with an experienced and highly-qualified vendor to operate Nevada’s state-based exchange platform. This transition will save Nevada more than $18 million for the duration of the contract, offer a better consumer experience, and provide the Marketplace with timely and efficient access to data that will ultimately improve marketing efforts,” said Heather Korbulic, executive director of the Exchange. “Most importantly, this change puts Nevada in full control of its exchange, not Washington, D.C. As the transition gets underway, we remain laser-focused on preparing for this fall’s Open Enrollment through Healthcare.gov. Our goal this year is to keep our more than 91,000 consumers statewide connected to affordable health insurance options, while working diligently to reach other Nevadans in need of quality, comprehensive health insurance plans.”

Due to escalating leasing costs charged by Healthcare.gov, it’s estimated the Exchange would pay $13.2 million to operate on the federal platform in 2020. In comparison, operating on a private, state-based platform like the one GetInsured will help to operate for Nevada Health Link is estimated to cost $5.1 million.